Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1887-08-13
HOW IT OCCURRED.

An Impartial 9tAtonent Of tho Causes
Leading 70 the shooting of Msddux
BY c. a clayton Last Wednesday.
Yesterday forenoon Deputy Sheriff
Themes, acting under instructions OF the
County Attorney. took c. A. Clayton be-
fore Judge Lippincott where he was
arraigned for the murder OF q. G. Maddux
on Wednesday forenoon near Melrose. The
Sheriff had gone down to the n~eighborhood
OF the shooting the evening before and yes
terday came up with Charles Powers, j.
and N. Peterson. J. Smith, c. Fleming, j.
Price. WI. Moore, Ben Plummer and J.K.
Jones who arrived here about 3 O'Clock,
and were served with subpenas in the case
to appear next Monday morning when
Clayton will be formally examined in Judge
Lippincott's court. The witnesses nave
no alternative but to appear then, and
were very much chagrined at having their
trip up to Butte to-day unnecessarily. a
gentleman who claims to be conversant
With the origin of the quarrel between Mad
dux and Clayton says the land about
which the dispute arose is Government
land but that Clayton's claim to it rests
on the ground that he cleaned the land uD
for the purpose of cutting hay on it two
years ago.
THE STRIP OF LAM
il not more than five acres l extent and
lies about a mile above C%Iayton's ranch,
while it is more than three miles from the
Maddux ranch. He states that Clayton
went to some trouble in cleaning it so that
he could use his moving machine upon it.
Our informant states that Clayton cut the
hay from it two years ago but did not last
year as it was not worth. cutting. He in
tended doing so this year, but while he was
at his ranch on Soap Gulch Maddux came
and cut the hay, or sent his men to do it.
CLAYTON, on his return, saw them at work
there and demonstrated with. them. but
they, of course acting under orders. had no
defence to make or excuse to offer. Clay
ton then said that he new Maddux had
been packing a s~ix-shooter for him and
fussing about water privileges for years
back, but" he is reported to have said,
''if you move that hay off that ground |
will give Maddux a racket to the Julie extent
of the law" On Wednesday last, our in
dormant continues, Maddux. with his hired
men, Peterson and Powers, came with a
hayrack to
REMOVE THE A
which had been cut by his men and Clayton
met them on the road. He was with his
moving machine. He had his coat off and
in the pocket of it was a six-shooter. Our
states that the man Maddux
was a very large, powerful man, much more
than q match for Clayton in a personal en-
counter, and that Maddux had frequently
expressed in public his intention of doing
nm novfnn whopovor no Onf an nnnnrf11.
nifty. OF which Clayton was aware. Clay.
t IN is said to have asked Maddux why
do you play such dirty tricks as this on
me? l have a right to that land because l
and my boy cleaned that land up over two
years ago. and here you come two Or three
miles above your ranch to take this hay
that you have no right o Maddux is re-
ported to have replied that he cleaned the
land off thirteen years ago. Clayton de-
MED this and reaffirmed What he had done
for the purpose of reaping it with his now
ing machine. Maddux is said to have then
GIVEN HIM THE LIE
which reused Clayton so he dared him to
down off his wagon. Maddux asked
if he had any weapons about him which
Clayton said he had not. Maddux had a
shot gun in his hand which he gave to
Powers who is reported to have held it
down, the muzzle pointed in Clayton's
direction. Maddux then came down from
the v agon and advanced towards Clayton
who backed toward his moving machine
where his coat was. Two or three times,
ourinformant states, Clayton asked"yon're
coming. are your" and kept backing to his
coat, and each time Maddux replied, eyes,
Pm coming" making threatening gestures.
When Maddux crowded Clayton to the
machine the latter picked up his Goa and
got his revolver and fred, shooting Mad
dux twice, and then seeing Powers raising
the gun he held he shot at him and hit him
in the arm so that he dropped the gun.
This is the statement of the affair as re-
lated to The MINER representative, ard it
was added that the bad blood between the
men originated in a quarrel several years
ago about q horse hat Clayton and
Maddux both claimed and which the
former obtained possession of though the
brand wal upon it.